Just The Way You Are
by ibrokethecrayon
Summary: The smiles that are seen can only be glimpses of those who really don't care. But the ones you love know that you're dying on the inside, and can't help trying to make others happy to avoid the worry; Based on Bruno Mars song. Take a look inside.


_Massie Block didn't believe she was beautiful. _

_She was also very scared to fall in love, thanks to watching her father, William, walk out on Massie and her mother when the little brunette was fourteen years old, for another man – a French man that he met while on a business trip to Paris. She was fearless and didn't let anybody see her true emotions unless she was with her best friend, Claire Lyons: she lives through the fall out of the Pretty Committee in the seventh and eighth grade, the constant heart break from Dempsey Solomon and Landon Crane that drove her away from love in only tenth grade. She was broken, with no real love, and it causes her to be oblivious at finding that she was always loved by someone she barely knew existed because she blocked the entire male ratio that attends Briarwood-Octavian Country Day from her mind – permanently. _

_If it wasn't for the one day that he confronted her, Massie Block would still be faking a smile that is always curved on her thin pink lips. If it weren't for that song, she would still be secretly afraid of falling in love . . . with him. He proved to her that she wasn't alone and that she was perfect in every single way – whether she believed it or not. After that one special day, Massie came home with a huge, sparkling smile on her face, and it worried Kendra terribly in case something happened to Massie that she was hiding. Until Massie explained the reason behind it, and that made her mother's heart soar with joy and excitement. _

_Massie remembered that day perfectly, as if it were yesterday. _

When she woke up that exceptionally sunny morning, Massie didn't think it would be anything but a simple and ordinary day for her. She threw the purple down filled comforter away from her lithe frame, sliding off the bed and padding barefoot across the room to her bathroom in order to prepare for the day – showering, straightening her hair, and applying her makeup. Once that was done, she went out into her bedroom and took the clothes off her Massiequin: debuting black distressed skinny jeans, pomegranate cardigan turned mini dress with a metallic silver skinny belt cinched at the waist, and black crushed velvet flats. She stared at herself in the mirror, practicing on the smile to prove that she was okay – just like she did every morning before leaving the house to go to school. Not only was it just a school day, but it was the last day of being a junior in high school. Just as she was about to leave, Massie had gotten a text message, she pulled her cell phone out and checked her Inbox.

**Stop hiding behind that makeup, Massie. You are beautiful. XOXO.**

By the time she went downstairs, Kendra was already at work and their live-in housekeeper, Inez, was already in the backyard making preparations for Kendra's white-party that happens every year at the end of June. Massie said goodbye to her little black pug, Bean, with a kiss on the forehead before going outside the grand, lonely mansion – finding that her best friend was leaning against the hood of Massie's black '67 Chevy Impala.

"You ready for the last day of school?" Claire giggled, blinking her ocean blue eyes coolly.

"Oh yeah," Massie nodded, getting into the driver's seat of her car. Claire followed into the passenger's seat, and both girls were suddenly on their way to the high school they only had to attend for one measly year starting today. Massie cranked up the radio, Lady GaGa's _Marry The Night _was playing on the radio – Claire's favorite song because it reminded her of Cam Fisher, her boyfriend for two years.

They arrived at the school, and parked in their famed spot in the center of the parking lot – it wasn't too far of a walk, and it was being dead center, just the way Massie liked it. Claire and Massie got out of the old car, linking arms, and click-clacking in sync toward their school – it was a daily routine for these polar opposite best friends. Just the way it always was; people stared at the brunette and the blonde with envy at their amazing outfits and their casual yet tighter-than-Jonas-Brother's-skinny-jeans friendship.

Everything was going smoothly, until they stopped into a dead halt when spotting that their ex-friend was coming straight toward them with her recruited Clique consisting of a weight-obsessed redhead, an airhead blonde with an Ashlee Simpson nose job, and a sporty jock crush-stealing dirty blonde. Massie rolled her amber eyes with annoyance, pursing her glossy lips into a tight line as she focused her eyes on the raven-haired Latina standing in front of her wearing a chocolate slouchy mini dress with calf-high black boots; her raven hair contorted into a low side sexy ponytail.

"Hi Alicia, how are you?" Massie asked with a faker smile than the Latina's boobs.

"I'm doing just fine," Alicia Rivera said with a cocky attitude.

"That was a rhetorical question; I don't really care how you're doing." Massie smirked, receiving a victory hip-bump from Claire, who giggled in her palm. Alicia rolled her eyes and scoffed under her breath, quickly turning her head to look at her Clique briefly before making full eye contact with the amber-eyed brunette once again.

"You're in my way, Block." Alicia finally said.

"You're suffocating me with your slutty air," Massie shot back. Alicia's lip twitched, and fought the urge to laugh at Massie's comeback. She missed that, but the girls have been in a feud since the eighth grade – and nothing was going to change that.

"Let's go." Alicia snapped her fingers, moving around the two-girl Alpha Clique with her own friends and stomping down the hallway – out of sync. It was a typical Alicia Rivera whenever she was angry; Massie and Claire busted out laughing as they walked to their first period class.

Throughout the day, impatience coursed through Massie's veins and her heart stuttered twice as the day neared close to an end. She had been waiting all week for the day to come, as she sat in the Café, picking at her California Roll as she waited for Claire to come back from the lunch line with her Garden salad and Glacaéu Vitamin water. Her amber eyes flickered over to where Alicia was sitting with her friends, and a couple boys that were on the soccer team – just not the popular ones like Cam Fisher, Josh Hotz, and Derrick Harrington. They sat with Massie and Claire, because they thought those girls were losers compared to the blonde-brunette duo. She looked at her phone, wondering where the boys were and just as she was about to text them, her phone buzzed in her hands with a text message, she immediately scrolled to see who it was: Unknown.

**The smiles that are seen can only be glimpses of those who really don't care. But the ones you love know that you're dying on the inside, and can't help trying to make others happy to avoid the worry.**

Massie's smile turned real as she got up from the table, going into the bathroom to check on herself. It was her only time during the day that she could relapse the day's events and takes some heavy breaths to keep from crying in public. She locked the bathroom door, steering straight to the mirror. Her amber eyes were bright, but the flicker was fake, just like her now-faltered smile that was projecting in the reflection – her chestnut tresses cascaded down her back and over her right shoulder, the way she positioned it during third period study hall. She took out her makeup case from her purse, reapplying the black eyeliner. Her smile contorted into a frown, which she feared would remain permanent on her pale, unpretty-in-reality face. She dropped the eyeliner pencil back into the case, propping it at the bottom of her bag, and stared at her reflection for a few seconds longer – which is when her phone vibrated in her bra. It startled her, as she took her iPhone from her cleavage to check who had messaged her. It was another unknown number.

**Meet me at the white oak by Wickery Bridge at 3. **

Her eyes narrowed at the text message, wondering who could have possibly texted her. Biting down on her bottom lip, Massie pondered whether or not this was a joke from Alicia or one of her minions – maybe it was time that they made up and became best friends again? Whatever the reason, whoever the person, Massie sighed heavily and tucked her iPhone back into her bra, turning on her heel and click-clacking out of the bathroom once she unlocked the door.

Waiting at the table was Claire, Derrick, Cam, and Josh, just like they always were. Massie shook her head once and tried to smile, holding her breath until she made it successfully to Table Eighteen – her designated table since she was in the eighth grade. Casually, she sat down and restarted picking at her California Roll. Claire was stabbing her salad with a fork; Josh was playing paper football with Cam on the far end of the table, and Derrick was mysteriously texting on his Sidekick with a slight smirk on his cashew-colored face. Massie smiled, whispering to Claire that she'd gotten a text message in the bathroom and told her that it might be Alicia and that she wanted to ask forgiveness from Massie. Claire opened her mouth to talk, when Massie silenced her as her phone started vibrating in her cleavage again. She took it out of her bra, checking the text message – an unknown text message, like from before.

**Come alone. **

Was the entire text message said, and Massie nervously looked around the Café to see who happened to be texting – half the students in the Café, which didn't help Massie at all. Someone was watching her, which was most likely Alicia – she wanted the apology and the forgiving to be done in private, not wanting an audience of one until the entire thing went public. Massie understood, of course.

When the day ended at 2:35 p.m., Massie told Claire to get a ride with Cam so she could go to Wickery Bridge – which was a twenty minute drive from the school. She understood, and told Massie to text her as soon as everything was done. Massie got in her Chevy Impala, jamming the keys impatiently into the ignition and gearing her car in reverse; she curved out of the school parking lot and drove down the semi-empty road. Massie was driving along Wickery Bridge not too long after she left the parking lot of her school, and saw that no one was waiting by the white oak yet – she checked the clock in her car, seeing that it was five minutes to three. She got out of the car once she parked along the river bank – but not too close that her car would somehow end up falling into the river when she got back into her car after her meeting.

Massie sighed heavily, leaning against the bark of the white oak tree and crossed her arms firmly over her C-cups as her amber eyes flickered in every direction to see where Alicia would be coming from. She held her breath, pulling out her iPhone to see if she'd received any text messages on why she was late for their meeting. Massie started nibbling on her glossy bottom lip, looking up at the sky to see that pale gray clouds were beginning to overcast – which wasn't always a good sign. When she checked her phone again, it was fifteen minutes after three and Massie was growing impatient, and if Alicia didn't hurry up – Massie would be gnawing off the black tips of her French manicure.

Just as she was about to give up, Massie heard the sound of someone playing an acoustic guitar. Immediately, she began looking all around, wondering if they could be driving passed and was listening to an acoustic CD. But no cars could be seen, and Massie's hears accelerated inside of her chest –with fear and worry at the thought of someone coming by and discovering that Massie was alone. _Was this Alicia's plan all along? _She thought tediously to herself.

"_Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining. Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying__: s__he's so beautiful, and I tell her every day._ _Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me, and it's so, it's so, sad to think that she don't see what I see. But every time she asks me do I look ok, I say_."

Massie heard a male voice sing, and this caused her to look in every direction once again.

"_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, 'cause you're amazing, just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while, because girl you're amazing, just the way you are_."

Massie's heart soared at those words. But this person didn't sound like Bruno Mars, he sounded more like a person who spent their time doing scream in their basement with a bunch of friends – pretending that they were famous rock stars – this didn't stop her from looking around for her singer and admirer.

"_Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she let me. Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy – she's so beautiful, and I tell her every day. Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd ever ask you to change, if perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same, so, don't even bother asking if you look ok. You know I'll say_,"

The voice was coming from behind, Massie discovered, turning around on her heel and leaning against the white oak tree to avoid losing her balance. She stared up at the pale green, grassy hill to see that someone was standing up there with an acoustic guitar draped in front of them – their face wasn't visible, and she could barely make out the features from where he was standing.

"_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, 'cause you're amazing, just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while, because girl you're amazing, just the way you are – the way you are, the way you are__. __Girl you're amazing, just the way you are_."

Just as the person was walking down the hill, ever-so-slow, small crystal tear drops began sprinkling from the gray clouds overhead. It was beyond romantic, as if it was already planned, and Massie couldn't help but start walking toward him to get a better look sooner than she'd expect. He stopped walking, and so did she, so she just listened to his amazing voice.

"_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, 'cause you're amazing, just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while, 'cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are_."

Massie couldn't help but begin clapping once he finished the song, her heart revving inside of her chest so quick that she abruptly thought that she was going to burst with excitement. Neither of them moved, and then, she saw his shadow-like figure's mouth open, only a sliver as he breathed in a small amount of air.

"The smiles that are seen can only be glimpses of those who really don't care. But the ones you love know that you're dying on the inside, and can't help trying to make others happy to avoid the worry." The familiar voice said, quoting a text message that she had received earlier during lunch. Massie's eyes widened as she instantly recognizing this voice in a single heart beat, the one person who was always on the side lines, barely looked at her, but had come to her defense once before in tenth grade when Dempsey's new girlfriend, Layne Abeley, had been trash talking about the brunette in order to get revenge on her for stealing Dempsey in the first place.

Massie never realized it, but the way his shaggy dirty blonde hair fell into his caramel-colored puppy dog brown eyes was extremely cute. He was a fantastic player on the soccer field, which caused him to be voted at BOCD's Most Valuable Player at the end of the season. This boy was sincerely sweet, had the best friends who were extremely close to Massie and Claire to begin with, _and _he admitted to liking Massie for the longest time not too many months ago but was afraid of admitting it earlier because she was going through a rough time with her parent's divorce. Yet, she had let him come to her house that evening when the papers were filed and her father officially moved out, he was her shoulder to cry on that entire night – she even fell asleep in his arms, on her bed, that night.

"Massie Block, I told you once and I'm going to say it again… I've been in love with you since the seventh grade. I've always thought you were beautiful and perfect in every single way, no matter what Alicia and her stupid friends tell you, no matter what you have adjusted in believing, I see the side of you that only Claire can see – I can see it in your eyes that you're hurting every day passing. But I tell you this right now that I want to be with you, be that guy you can always turn to, because I know that I can help you through it all for the rest of our lives. One day, I plan on marrying you, it's been a dream I've had quite often in the past couple months since the first time I told you that I loved you."

And with that, Derrick Harrington walked right up to Massie Block and cupped her face in his hands, pressing his lips against hers without hesitation or a second thought – knowing that she'll be kissing him back. And that is exactly what she did. The kiss sent a million electric currents to course through her veins and makes her heart explode with fireworks at the touch of his smooth, warm lips against hers for the very first time. She put her hands on his shoulders, pressing her lips heavier against his.

This moment was so perfect, so right; there was no way to doubt it. Massie didn't mind that she was standing in the rain with BOCD's ultimate Male Alpha, getting the kiss of a life time that she will cherish forever. It felt like every nerve ending in Massie's body was a live wire.

"I love you," Massie was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of her own words.

"Forever," he agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: So, I hope you enjoyed my one-shot for Massie and Derrick. I got the slight inspiration by obviously listening to Just The Way You Are, if you couldn't tell from the title of the story. Just in case you are wondering, he sounds like the lead singer of Pierce the Veil, and in order to get a sample of that listen to Pierce the Veil's cover of the song on YouTube. Please leave reviews about any opinions or thoughts on this story, I would greatly appreciate it with some honesty as well. BTW, I'm not sure where I was heading with this, but it got me thinking while listening to PTV's cover. Love you all, and please look at my story "A New Life's Beginning". I will love you forever. And give you a shout out in my next chapter for the story if you review it.<strong>


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